


Playground Love

by TheScarletGarden



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arya and Dany totally have a bromance going on, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Jonerys, Pining, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love, as it should have been, but only at first, childhood crush, kids frolicking around, then it's totally requited because I'm Jonerys trash to the bone, underage warning I guess???, wait until puberty hits lolol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20939339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheScarletGarden/pseuds/TheScarletGarden
Summary: A fluffy three-chapters story based on the prompts "Best friend's brother prompt. Dany and Arya are best friends, but Dany has a massive crush on Arya's older brother Jon" from anon and "Kiss #64: Being Unable To Open Their Eyes For A Few Moments Afterward" from Elegantfirepoetry (although you will have to wait for the last chapter for the kiss that was promised).





	1. The Memories We Made

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elegantfirepoetry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elegantfirepoetry/gifts).

> The title is inspired to Air.
> 
> Moodboard by the lovely aliciutza.
> 
> Betaed by my guardian angels, LustOnMyFingers and Enygma0710. ❤️

Dany was seven when her family left Braavos.

While the car drove away from what used to be their home, Dany stuck her nose to the rear window and waved goodbye to their great big house with the lemon tree and the red door for the last time. She fleetingly hoped that their new home in Westeros would have a red door as well. It wouldn't feel as scary to move to an entirely new continent this way.

As it turned out, their new home in Winterfell didn't have a red door, but a white one, the contrast stark against the red bricks of the mansion. It looked so different from the Braavosi houses she was used to seeing. It was big and empty, only half-furnished, the colours less vibrant than in Essos, muted. Dany wandered around the building for a long while, slow steps and bated breath as she observed all the details of what was her new home, clutching her plush dragon close to her chest.

When she was sure she had explored every room, Dany walked back to her new bedroom and unpacked all of her plushies, carefully setting them on the bed and on the shelves. After she was done with her task, she took a step back, admiring her handiwork with a satisfied smile on her face.

Now, it felt a little bit more like _home_.

The first weeks in Winterfell were a lonely affair, but Dany didn't let that get to her. At school, she had tried to fight her shyness and talk to the other children, albeit without much success in making new friends. Even as she tried not to think too much about it, she missed Essos – the warmer air, the colours abounding the streets of the city, the richly spiced food, the heterogeneous people that inhabited Braavos.

Here, she and her family often attracted wary glances from the locals. She felt like they stood out with their peculiar colouring. While it had been rare in her former city as well, nobody had seemed to spare a second glance at them in Braavos.

After much insistence on Dany's part, her parents had managed to find the only place in all of Winterfell that taught kids' waterdancing lessons. Dany had been studying waterdancing for a year before the move, and she enjoyed the classes back home. Since she was improving, this also meant she had more success in defending herself from Viserys' occasional bullying.

Still, it felt terribly awkward to start the class almost at the end of the school year. Dany gulped in front of the gym door, clutching her wooden sword closely to her body. She knew that groups of friends would already be formed and that she would have a hard time fitting in, especially with her foreign looks and accent. Her new school had been hard enough in that sense.

She entered the locker room to change, not even hearing what the coach was currently explaining to her. All the girls in the room fell silent when she awkwardly stepped in, waving a hand and muttering a weak "Hi, I'm Dany." She physically felt the heavy gazes on her pale braids even if she didn't see them.

It didn't last long, though. Soon, a slender, tiny wisp of a girl with messy dark hair and a piercing gaze marched up to her, stopping just short of her nose. "You're not from Winterfell," she stated.

"No, uhm- I'm from Braavos. I just moved here with my family," Dany anxiously explained.

The younger girl's face broke into a bright grin. "That's _so cool_," she dreamily whispered. "Is it true that there is a school to become a Faceless Man there? And that there is a statue so high that it touches the sky? And-"

"_Arya Stark_," the coach reprimanded from the door, before letting out a heavy sigh. "Let your new companion settle, at least."

Dany didn't mind, though. The new girl's – _Arya's_ – eagerness made her smile brightly, the anxious knot inside her stomach slowly loosening its grip. When it came time to separate into pairs for the practice, Arya all but dragged her to be paired together, bombarding Dany with enthusiastic questions about her life in Braavos.

Arya Stark was one year younger than her and so full of energy it was sometimes difficult to keep up. But she was smart way beyond her age and had a good heart and a curious mind, and soon she and Dany became inseparable.

"You have to teach me Valyrian," she started one day. "So that it can be our secret language! We can speak it and Sansa and Jeyne won't understand what we're saying. I bet they will be so jealous-"

Dany laughed. Arya always tended to get worked up over her sister and her best friend and sometimes plotted plans of revenge towards the older girls. "That sounds cool. I'll teach you."

"You're the_ absolute _best. Now let's race home, you have to meet the wolves."

That was the first time that Dany went to the Starks'. The large family lived in a huge country mansion, all stone and timber as it was traditional in the North. Arya had a bunch of siblings, she had explained, so many that Dany had trouble remembering all their names at first.

"Mom and daddy aren't home until five. Old Nan is supposed to be watching us, but she always falls asleep on the couch in the afternoon, so she won't bother us. We can sneak into the wolf's den to pet them! You're my friend, they're not gonna hurt you. And then I'll take you to see my treehouse, dad built it for us."

Arya kept to her rigorous planning. They made their first step at the kennels, where a bunch of overeager dogs fought each other for their attention and generous pets. "This is Nymeria, and she's all mine! She's my best friend," Arya explained, stroking the fur of a beautiful grey wolf. "Other than you, of course. That's Grey Wind," she said, pointing to another, "Lady, Shaggydog – I think the name's stupid, by the way – that one over there is Summer, and _he_," she pointed to the huge white wolf that was crawling into Dany's lap, "He's Ghost. He's Jon's wolf."

Arya talked about her siblings all the time, but especially about her older brother Jon, who was already ten and about to go to the last year of primary school in September. "Don't tell Robb," she had confessed once, "But Jon is my favourite brother."

After they spent some time with the wolves, Arya enthusiastically took her to the treehouse. "It's beautiful!" Dany marvelled, climbing up the ladder and into the wooden structure. She had always dreamt of having a treehouse, but Aerys Targaryen didn't seem to share the same passion for craftmanship as Ned Stark.

"See, if you're small enough you can crawl out of the window and reach my favourite branch. I do it all the time," Arya said, hopping outside. "I think Jon and Robb are jealous cause they're too big to do this now. And Sansa would never risk dirtying her dresses."

Dany eagerly followed her, giggling happily as the two girls pretended they were monkeys.

They swung from Arya's favourite branch for a while, but then Dany felt herself slip. She grasped the first branch she could, flaying her arms, panicking as she fell. Luckily, she avoided crashing into the ground. But the arm that missed the branch caught the worst of the fall by hitting and brushing against the bark, the sensation like a burning flare on her skin, and-

"Oh no, you're bleeding!" Arya was beside her a moment later. "I'm going to call for help," she said, and then she was off, leaving her alone by the tree. Dany observed the red liquid dripping along her forearm, biting back tears at the painful sting.

It was only a few minutes later that Arya returned with two older boys in tow. One of them was tall and slender with auburn hair and blue eyes, the other was the spitting image of Arya, just older and male.

"What happened?" the red-haired boy asked. "Did you swing from the branches again, Arya? Mom is going to be mad, she told you a thousand times not to do that!"

"It's not my fault, Robb! She just fell."

"Hold on, let me see," the other boy, who could only be Jon, beckoned her softly, crouching in front of Dany on the ground. "Wow. That's a huge gash. But it's not deep, it will stop bleeding soon."

"Let me see." Robb came closer. "Yeah, it's no worse than the bruising Bran got that time he attempted to climb the front porch. It's gonna be alright."

"Aye, let's get her inside and cleaned up at least," Jon instructed, offering Dany his hand to take. Dany took it, albeit a bit uncertainly, and Jon hoisted her up easily, guiding her inside the big mansion.

"You're lucky that mom and dad aren't home, Arya," Robb, who was the older sibling at almost twelve years, was now scolding her. "You know they don't want you to climb outside of the treehouse, and now you've seen _why_."

"You're just jealous you're too big to do it."

"That's not the point, you little rascal. Your friend got hurt."

"Aye, but she's tough! See, she's not crying!"

Dany steeled herself further at the remark, proud that she didn't bawl, although she could feel the sting of tears in her eyes.

"Where's the step stool, Robb? She can't reach the sink," Jon asked, interrupting the siblings' bickering.

"Try looking in that cabinet over there. Use the disinfectant as well. I will _not_ sit through another of dad's rants about safety," Robb sighed, rummaging through a cabinet for a while until he found what he was looking for, handing the bright yellow bottle to Jon.

Jon carefully stretched her arm over the sink and poured the liquid over her abrasion to clean it up.

As soon as the disinfectant made contact with her torn skin, Dany hissed and let out a painful moan, unsuccessfully trying to jerk her arm away from Jon's firm grip. It hurt like _hell_.

"I'm so sorry," he cooed, looking at her with kind eyes. "I know it stings like crazy. It will be over soon."

Dany felt tears falling over her cheeks and lowered her head, ashamed that she had ended up crying, avoiding his eyes as he rolled some gauze around her arm. He seemed to know what he was doing, but then again, he was the second of six siblings, so it made sense.

"Look, we have coloured plasters to close the gauze. Do you want it pink, red or green?"

"Red, please," she answered, her voice small, observing him intently as he closed her bandage with a red plaster with tiny kittens drawn all over it. "It's cute, isn't it?" he asked, probably trying to distract her from the lingering sting of her arm.

His dark curls kept going over his face, but when he looked back at her she nearly gasped at the warmth held in his grey eyes. He smiled, giving her wrist a little squeeze. "There, you're all good. You should pay attention around Arya, she always gets in trouble."

"That's not true!" Arya yelled in indignation, but her brother only laughed and ruffled her already messy hair. He then turned towards Dany again. "What's your name?"

"Daenerys," she answered.

"It's a pretty name," he smiled. "See you around then, Daenerys."

After some more recommendations of safety to Arya, Jon and Robb left. The girl turned to her with a remorseful expression, not quite meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry you got hurt. I swear I didn't want you to."

"I know, Arya. It's ok. It's just a scratch."

"So you're not mad at me?"

"Not at all," Dany smiled, wiping away the last of her tears.

Arya grinned mischievously, dragging her along so that they could resume their playing, even though they carefully avoided the treehouse for the remainder of the afternoon.

* * *

Arya didn't live too far from the gym where they took their waterdancing classes, and so she always walked home after practice. She wasn't allowed to do that alone – despite her tendency to often ignore that rule – and when her parents and her uncle were busy with work, it was usually Jon or Robb who were tasked with escorting their little sister home.

They never failed to invite Dany to their home until her own parents would return to pick her up, or offer to walk her home themselves _at the very least_.

Dany liked Robb, but she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed every time she spotted his auburn hair outside of the gym instead of Jon's raven curls.

To begin with, Jon was more prone to indulge her and Arya with treats. He often bought them ice-cream on the road home, with the little rainbow sprinkles on top. It didn't take much to learn that Jon had a sweet tooth.

"Have you ever tried this flavour, Dany?" he asked one day, scooping big mouthfuls of the cookie dough ice cream in his bowl. "Arya hates it."

"Too sweet," she grimaced, scrunching her nose in an adorable expression that made both Jon and Dany laugh.

"I think it's the best," he smiled. "Do you want to try it?"

Dany eagerly nodded, dipping her own spoon into Jon's bowl. When the creamy goodness made contact with her tongue, she let out a pleasured moan.

Jon was grinning at her. "Finally, someone that _gets_ the cookie dough," he smirked at Arya, pushing the huge bowl of ice-cream to the center of the small round table they were sat at. "Here, we can finish it together," he winked at Dany, "But only if you give me some of the caramel one."

"It's a deal!" she grinned. Arya kept on slurping on her mint chocolate chips, nonplussed. Her friend loved all things mint.

When Dany finally turned eight, the Starks had gifted her a homemade cake along with their presents, so when Arya's seventh nameday approached, Dany had asked her mom to help her make a cake for her best friend.

It was only right, she thought as she happily mixed the mint syrup into the cheese cream batter.

"It's not green enough," she observed critically. Rhaella leaned to peek inside the bowl, humming, then she stuck a finger into the batter to scoop up a bit of the cream. She looked pensive as she tasted the sweet concoction, but then she nodded. "You're right, we need to add more syrup. It barely tastes like mint."

"I told you we would need more," Dany giggled, stealing a little scoop of cream for herself to taste.

"I was just being cautious, little dragon. Better to have to add some ingredients in a second moment than to mess everything up and have to do it again from the start," her mother smiled. "Will we have to prepare cakes for all of your Stark friends, now? It's like having to bake for a little army," Rhaella teased.

Dany giggled along with her. Rhaella loved to bake and wouldn't mind it in the least to have to do that for all of the many Stark children – especially after all the praise she received for the lemon cakes she'd made for Sansa's nameday – but she liked to joke. The two families had already met each other by this point, and Rhaella especially seemed to like the company of Arya's parents.

"Mint is a peculiar preference for a kid, though. What would the others like? Which nameday is the next?"

"I'm not sure," Dany said. She tried to remember the other's namedays, but not to much avail. Surprisingly, she found she could only remember Jon's.

"And when is that?" her mother asked when she told her so.

"In the winter," she said.

"Well, that gives us some time to figure out his cake."

"I think he would like a peanut butter and caramel one," Dany stated resolutely.

"Peanut butter and caramel, eh?"

"Or something with a lot of chocolate."

"You seem to know his tastes well," Rhaella mused, leaning against the countertop and watching her with a raised brow and a smirk on her face.

"He always lets me eat some of his ice cream," Dany explained, not quite sure why her cheeks felt warmer under her mother's inquisitive gaze.

* * *

Every summer, the Starks spent a month at a cabin by the Long Lake's shores. The wooden house had been their family's for generations, and although big enough for such a large bunch as theirs, it was still much smaller than their regular home.

"Which is why-" Ned Stark frowned, "You can only bring one friend. We've already discussed this, Sansa."

"Why can't it be Jeyne, though?" Sansa screeched, teetering on the edge of a tantrum.

"It was Jeyne last year already!" Arya shouted back. Their father shut his eyes with a painful twitch of his mouth as the noise rose.

"Well, let's settle this and call Theon, then," Robb said.

"Nobody likes Theon but _you_," Sansa spat, and Jon couldn't help but silently agree with his eldest sister, for once.

"And Theon already came three times! Dany has never even seen the cabin! Jon, please, tell them you want Dany over as well!" Arya cried, grabbing his arm and shaking it desperately.

Ned sighed heavily, looking at him with a tired, hopeful gaze. "That's one way to settle it. Unless you have an altogether different friend to suggest, in which case I will walk out of this room and leave the matter to figure out between yourselves," he said, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

Jon did have friends at school, some of whom he would have liked to have over. He immediately thought of Sam's round, cheerful face, but then his sister's pleading eyes stopped him in his tracks. "Well, I really could do without Theon's _jokes_," he shrugged apologetically to Robb. "And Jeyne never even talks to me."

"See? Dany talks to you all the time, and she makes you laugh, too! And she still has to tell us of the time she went on vacation to Vaes Dothrak, and-"

"Alright, alright," his father stood, raising his hands to placate the ruckus. Sansa was staring daggers at both Jon and Arya, not that it was anything new, but Robb just shrugged, his usual smile still on his face.

"Dany it is," Ned declared.

"YAHOOOOOO!!!!!" Arya shouted, running outside to do somersaults on the grass. Jon couldn't help but smile. A summer with one of his friends would have been cool, but making Arya happy was priceless. And Dany was actually nice to have around.

When the silver-haired girl came over to their place and Arya formally invited her on their trip, she had been absolutely thrilled.

"_Really?_" Dany had uncharacteristically shouted, for she was usually a quiet kid, in stark contrast with his sister. The two had then proceeded to build a fort in the living room, spending the rest of the afternoon sharing enthusiastic plans on how to make the most of their time by the lake, giggles punctuating their excited whispers.

Jon was playing a videogame on the couch just beside their _majestic_ fort, and so he could hear bits and pieces of their conversation.

"Oh, you have to see the waterfalls!" Arya exclaimed at some point, the sudden rise in volume from their previous whispers almost startling him.

"Waterfalls?" the other girl sighed dreamily. "I would love to see those. Is the water really cold?"

"Quite so. But we always swim in the lake anyway. Did you ever swim in Essos?"

"All the time! We would go to the beach in the summer, and the water was nice and warm. If you go further South you can swim all year round!"

"Really?"

"Really! We went to Pentos once, and it was so hot I got my skin burned. It peeled right off my shoulders, I couldn't sleep on my back for _days_."

"Ouch," he grimaced, loud enough that the girls fell silent.

Arya's head poked from the sheets that made up their fort, then, a huge grin on her face. "Someone's been eavesdropping!" she sing-songed, but then she flapped the white sheet open wider and scooted back from the entrance. "Come in, Jon. We're sharing travel adventures."

Dany didn't say a word, but she dragged her legs up to her chest, hugging them and watching him with big, wide eyes. A small smile was dancing on her lips, though.

Jon paused the game, straining to hear if Robb or Theon were near. As the two older boys were nearing their teens, they had started to sometimes mock him when he spent too much time with Arya and Dany, but the truth was that Jon liked to be with them.

"Alright," he agreed, once he decided that his older brother and his friend weren't around. Jon sneaked into the fort, the small space soon growing cramped, and eagerly listened to their stories.

* * *

Summers by the lake had always been Jon's favourite time of the year. There was such an air of freedom to it all, being isolated in the woods for a whole month, only his family and their wolves, nothing to think about but explore and play and smell the fresh scent of pine.

He couldn't help but laugh under his breath at the sheer amazement written all over Dany's face, the little girl's nose planted against the car's window ever since they entered the woods around Long Lake.

"Is it very different from Essos?" he asked.

"It is," she nodded, her violet eyes never wavering from the natural spectacle all around them. "It's so beautiful here."

"I bet you've seen some beautiful places before," Ned's gentle voice came from the front of the car.

"Oh, well, yes. But I have never seen woods quite like these."

Jon chuckled. It was strange to see the places he had grown up through the eyes of someone's who's never been there before. "Wait until you see the lake."

"Arya told me there are waterfalls as well."

"Those are a bit more distant," his dad said. "It's not wise to go today, or you will get caught in the dark on the way back."

"We can go tomorrow!" Arya exclaimed. "We'll bring Nymeria with us and build a dam on the stream and-"

"Only if Jon or Robb accompany you."

Robb slouched on the front passenger's seat at their father's words, grimacing. It was strange to witness, the sudden change he had recently made. He used to like spending time with his siblings, but now he seemed to prefer to be alone when he couldn't hang out with Theon and his friends.

"I'll take them," Jon said, his sister fiercely hugging his waist and almost cutting the breath from his lungs.

The waterfalls were a twenty minutes walk from their cabin, following an easy trail into the beautiful woods that surrounded Long Lake. They weren't particularly big, but they were still fun to play around and one of Jon and Arya's favourite spots.

It was no surprise that the three of them ended up going there almost every other day, Nymeria and Ghost in tow, the girls laughing happily as they built a majestic dam on the stream that generated from the cascade and reversed into the lake itself.

"We need more rocks," Dany declared on the third day of their project. When she was focused her shyness disappeared, and she seemed much more confident when she had a goal to pursue. "See there? It's almost collapsing. We need a second row of reinforcement."

"Aye," his sister fiercely nodded, assessing the situation with a serious frown and her hands on her hips. "The water's too strong."

They would ask Jon to move the larger rocks they found, those that ended up being the base of their dam, and then they would pile smaller and smaller rocks over it. Dany had started shaping a dented pattern on top of the structure.

"I like how you're doing it," he commented, hopping from side to side of the dam. "It kinda reminds me of the old ruins of Winterfell's castle." Jon wasn't sure why she would blush at such a simple remark, but she smiled and thanked him all the same, and he didn't put too much thought into it.

They cheered when they finally finished their project, the water already starting to slowly raise its level.

The most difficult task was to keep Ghost and Nymeria from accidentally wrecking the dam. The two wolves kept jumping in and out of the stream, so caught up in their own excitement that they more than once risked destroying all their hard work.

"Let's distract them," Jon suggested, even as he laughed at the wolves' antics. "The dam is done, there's not much more we have to do here. We can come back in a few days to see if it still stands."

"What are we going to do in the meantime?" Arya asked, jumping around in excitement much like Nymeria.

"We get Dany used to the cold water," he grinned, winking at their silver-haired friend, who groaned in displeasure.

"It's not just cold, it's _freezing_!" she complained, even as she followed them anyway. Jon doubted she disliked swimming in the cold water as much as she said, for she had religiously worn a bathing suit under her clothes every day, despite her many protests.

"You're going to have to fish me out of the lake one of these days," she grumbled, shredding her shoes and summer dress off. "Transformed into a block of ice, that's how you will find me."

"Perhaps," he shrugged, before tackling her and hoisting her up in the air, leaving her barely the time to screech and giggle before she was thrown into the lake, Arya soon following with a holler and a bomb-dive, the wolves howling around in excitement until even Nymeria jumped in.

Jon laughed, feeling light and happy even as Dany reemerged from the water, sputtering and glaring at him. "That's unfair!"

He dived in, the icy water a refreshing slap against his sweaty skin. When he came back to the surface, Dany was still glaring, spraying water in his direction.

"Yeah, let's drown him!" Arya screeched, laughing and tossing even more water at him.

"No, please, stop!" he begged, sputtering as he unsuccessfully tried to defend himself from Arya and Dany's combined attack. "I surrender! I surrender!"

"Pay amends to my best friend or perish!" Arya shouted, swinging her arm around like she was holding her practice sword.

"Alright, alright, I will," Jon laughed, lazily floating on the surface of the water now that it was safe. "I promise."

When they went back to the cabin it was almost time for supper and they were drenched to the bones, making Catelyn shake her head and sigh as she dried them off.

Jon started mulling on his promise that night when he went to sleep. Dany had clearly forgiven him already, being back to her bubbly, cheerful self soon after their water fight in the lake, but he wanted to do something nice for her all the same. Having her around – especially considering that he had risked having Theon or Jeyne in her place – had been surprisingly fun, and now he had a better grasp on why Arya liked her so much.

The chance for redemption came a couple of days later when they returned to the dam. Not only had it resisted the strength of the stream, but it had formed a nice pool where they could frolic and play.

Dany and Arya were examining the dam when the silver-haired girl let out a loud gasp, her hands flying to cover her mouth in surprise as she stared at a crack between the stones.

"_Lizards!_" she whisper-shouted, eyes shining.

"Where? Where? Let me see!" Arya exclaimed, jumping beside Dany and peering attentively. "Oh wow!"

Jon approached closer, curious.

There were three salamanders nestled between the rocks, their shiny scales glittering under the rays of the sun.

"They're beautiful," he commented, crouching over Dany and Arya to take a better look.

"They are," their friend whispered, entranced by the three reptiles.

"Do you like them a lot?"

Dany nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from her discovery.

"Alright, I'll catch them for you," he decided, approaching the lizards slowly, trying to figure out how to better grab them.

Arya gasped in excitement, scurrying off to empty the front pocket of the small backpack she always had with her. "Here, Jon, let's put them here!"

He could see Dany gnawing at her hands in trepidation out of the corner of his eye, and a strange boldness took hold of him, pride and eagerness, and dare he say, a desire to show off, as ridiculous as it was.

It took a while to catch all three of them, Arya helping him by closing the cracks on the other side so that they were trapped, but eventually he managed to grasp even the feisty black one that kept hissing at him and place it in Dany's hands, together with the other two.

"There. Is this enough to make amends for throwing you into the lake?"

She beamed at him, her smile so bright that Jon was sure he could consider his debt to be paid. Dany had already managed to calm the salamanders, stroking them and cooing nonsense at the tiny reptiles.

"I'll take good care of them," she promised.

"No doubt you will," he smiled.

"Thank you, Jon," she blushed again, that tinge of shyness taking hold of her voice once again. "They're so cute."

"What do lizards even eat?" Arya peeped in, sticking her nose close to the animals in question.

"Mostly bugs, I believe," he shrugged.

"_Ew_," Dany scrunched her nose. "Oh well, I guess I will have to adapt."

He laughed, mussing her damp hair like he would do with his sister.

The rest of the afternoon they spent splashing and playing in the shallow pool, while Dany preferred to sit and get acquainted with her new reptilian pets. When they made it back for supper, they sneaked the lizards in, scurrying off to the girls' room before Ned or Cat could intercept them. They emptied a small cardboard box for the salamanders to stay in, cutting tiny holes on the sides and hiding it under Dany's bed.

It was difficult not to laugh through dinner as the three of them shared secret grins, treasuring their afternoon adventure for themselves.


	2. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Has it been forever? Yes. Yes, it has.
> 
> I had no energy at all this last month and this chapter has been a bit of a pain in the ass to write, ngl. But it's here now. Better late than never, I suppose?
> 
> Some light angst ahead because growing up is never easy, but you can always trust the endgame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title for David Bowie.
> 
> Moodboard by the lovely aliciutza.
> 
> Betaed by my guardian angels, LustOnMyFingers and Enygma0710. ❤️

After the summer they spent together by the lake, Dany started to hang out at the Starks' so often that sometimes it seemed as if they'd adopted her.

Their lively, chaotic routine felt so different from her quiet home. While her mother was gentle and sweet, Dany's father was an imposing, silent presence that always made her feel a bit vexed. Her brothers were a far cry from Arya's siblings as well: both Rhaegar and Viserys were older than her and rarely home, and although Rhaegar cared for her, Viserys mostly preferred to mind his own business.

The Starks, on the other hand, liked to refer to themselves as a pack of wolves, and Dany thought there was no better way to describe them.

"A pack always sticks together," Arya had proudly explained to her.

Dany felt a slight pang of jealousy, for her own family often seemed disconnected. _But never Mama or Rhae_. Still, sometimes she liked to pretend she was a part of their pack, even if she didn’t resemble any of the Starks.

Everyone was always nice with her, but she felt the closest with Arya and Jon. The two siblings were nearly inseparable, and ever since their trip to Long Lake, Jon had involved Dany even more. _Maybe he does it because of Arya_, she thought sometimes, but his friendliness seemed so genuine that her worries never lasted long.

Jon Stark wasn't very talkative, but he had a wry sense of humour that sometimes reduced her into fits of laughter, so much that her belly ached.

He seemed pleased by her mirth. "See? At least Dany thinks I'm funny," he often said.

When Robb's friend Theon was around, he always mocked Jon and called him a _broody arse_. It made Dany terribly mad – Jon was _so_ funny! He just didn't like Theon – until one day she snapped.

Theon was taller than her by a good three heads – he was thirteen already – but Dany went as close to his face as possible and yelled to just leave Jon alone. "He's much funnier than you will ever be, but you're too stupid to get it!"

"Damn, girl, calm down," Theon scoffed. "What is it, Stark? Did you train a little girl to be your guard dog?"

"Eat shit, Theon," Jon replied with a calmness that struck as odd with the angry energy she felt. "Come, Dany. He's an ass, there's not much we can do about it."

He started walking away, slow enough so that she could catch up.

"Are you not mad at him?" she asked, reaching up to him.

"Not really. I mean, he's annoying, but I learned not to pay him any attention by now." He chuckled under his breath, then he turned to fully look at her. "You see, before Arya was born, I remember he once told me I wasn't my parents' son, because I looked nothing like Robb or Sansa. He told me I was adopted. I was only four, and I believed him until my father showed me pictures that proved the contrary."

He stopped, gazing at her intently. "He's always been... Theon. There's no point in getting mad. But yeah, I've never seen someone snap at him as fiercely as you did back there." Jon smiled, a wide toothy grin that made her feel fuzzy. "You have the temper of the dragon, little Dany."

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked, worrying her lip.

"No, not at all," he laughed, mussing her hair like he often did with his sister.

As time passed, Jon grew more and more present in her thoughts. She found that she could observe him for hours on end, losing herself in the softness of his stormy grey eyes, the colour so close to black it seemed to draw her in. A tingle ran down her spine every time he smiled at her, feeling dazed as she watched his every movement until he drawled her name with his thick Northern accent, snapping her out of her daydreams. She would flush red as a beetroot, stuttering some answer to whatever he was saying to her, feeling like a fool as he frowned slightly, probably wondering what in the heck was wrong with her.

_He must think I'm so stupid_, she thought sometimes, wishing she could grow up twice as fast until she could go to school with him, and maybe have a chance to hold his hand at recess.

It was a bit after he turned twelve, that Jon somehow stopped being a kid. Dany wasn't sure when it had started, only that he was changing at a much faster pace than before.

Even as he started to hit puberty, growing taller and taller each day that passed, she very much remained a _child_. It frustrated her to no end.

Despite the sheer rapidness at which he was growing, Jon's personality never truly changed. He seemed always happy to have her and Arya around, despite them both being much younger, and kept indulging them as often as he could.

On her tenth birthday, Jon got her a gift. Dany had received a small present from each of the Starks – even little Rickon had made her a drawing – but Jon's gift was simply the most _perfect_ gift she had received so far. It was a book about the dragonlore of Old Valyria with beautiful illustrations of famous dragons and their legendary riders.

"Oh Jon, thank you!" she squealed with joy. Unable to contain herself, she threw her small body into his arms, squeezing him into a fierce hug. Jon laughed and patted her hair much like he would do with Sansa – not quite ruffling it as he would do with Arya.

"I'm glad you like it. I searched two different bookstores to see if they had something with dragons," he explained.

The mere thought that he would put such attention into choosing her gift made her swoon anew. That night, Dany read it until her eyes hurt and then drifted asleep with a contented sigh.

In her dreams, Jon became a valorous prince that had a direwolf double the size of Ghost and a great sword that gleamed under the sunlight. He would come to her court – for she was a princess in her dreams as well, sometimes even a powerful queen – and fall in love with her in an instant, asking for her hand in marriage.

Together, they fought battles and liberated the smallfolk from the tyranny of an evil queen, and then celebrated their victories racing in the sky atop fiery dragons, laughing brightly at the sunset.

Those where Dany's favourite dreams, never failing to make her sigh longingly when she finally had to wake up and get ready for school.

Sometimes she doodled the pair of them on her books and notepads when she got bored in class, drawing glittery hearts all around them with her perfumed gelly pens. Other times, she surprised herself daydreaming about him on the way home, so enthralled by the different scenarios she made up in her head that she barely paid attention to where she was headed.

Especially on days like this, she hoped he could be by her side, just so she could glance at his familiar smile and chase away the nervousness of being surrounded by so many new faces. Her first week of middle school was just finishing. Dany had ended up in a class where she knew very few kids, and hadn't yet managed to make friends.

She wondered if things could be different if only Arya was in class with her, or if Jon or Robb would come to pick her up after school. She wondered if her new companions would be impressed that her friends had so many big, beautiful wolves, or that she had salamanders herself, or if they would find it too weird and mock her for it.

"Hey, what is _wrong_ with you?"

"What?"

Dany snapped awake from her musings, turning her head around only to meet the gaze of a boy with golden hair and green eyes glaring down at her.

"I said what in the hell is wrong with you. Did you bathe in bleach? Why are you so _white?_"

Dany gulped down the knot in her throat before timidly explaining, "I'm Valyrian-"

"You're _ugly_. You look like a ghost. Are they all so ugly in Valyria? You should go back there then, at least you won't look so out of place," the boy sneered.

Despite the occasional weird glances, Dany had avoided being bullied up until now. This boy seemed in no hurry to go home and had decided to harass her instead.

Dany tried to ignore him and started walking briskly towards the direction of her home, but the boy was following her. Even as her entire body was overcome with anxiety, she tried not to show it.

"Joffrey! What the hell are you doing?" a familiar voice boomed from behind them. She hadn't realized they were walking past the gym where Jon and Robb took their boxing lessons.

Jon was striding towards them, but didn't even stop to glance at her. Instead, he flung himself on her harasser, grasping him by the collar and yanking him close. The boy had gone visibly pale and was shaking in Jon's hold. "What did I tell you last time?"

"To leave your sisters alone, but she's not your sister!" Joffrey shrieked, pointing at her.

"Let's make it leave my sisters _and_ her alone from now on, eh? Or else it will end like the last time, that's a promise."

"I didn't know you knew her!"

"You should just leave _people_ alone, Joffrey. But especially my sisters. And her. Or I'll beat your ass so hard you won't be able to sit for a week."

Joffrey scampered away at the speed of light as soon as Jon let loose of his hold on the collar. It was only then that her saviour turned to look at her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," she murmured, even as she felt her chin wobble and her eyes sting with unshed tears. _I will not_, she steeled herself. _I will not cry in front of him._

"Hey," he cooed, moving closer to her and gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, Dany. He's an idiot, me and Robb already beat the shit out of him once because he picked on Sansa. Please, don't cry."

The moment he said it, big fat tears started streaming down her cheeks, and she felt ashamed that she had let it bother her.

"He- he told me-" she sobbed, "that- that I look like I bathed in- in bleach!"

"Oh gods, Dany, no." Jon hugged her tightly, rocking her back and forth. She cried harder.

"And- and that I'm u-ugly and I lo-look like a gh-ghost and I should go back to Valyria!"

"He's the worst idiot to ever live and he's also totally blind. You're not ugly, Dany. You're just... unusual."

Dany wailed, almost jerking away from him, but he kept his gentle hold on her, cursing himself under his breath. "Yo- you think that I'm ugly t- too!"

"No, Dany, no, I swear! I didn't mean it that way." He turned her face up so that she would look at him. "You're not ugly. You know what you remind me of?"

She shook her head in the negative, sniffling.

"You remind me of this warrior princess I once read about in a book. She had moonlight hair, just like yours, and she was kind and sweet but also a fierce, just warrior. Kinda reminds me of your temper, little dragon," he smiled. "Understand? You look like you walked out of a fairytale. I mean, before meeting you I thought only fairies could have violet eyes."

Dany smiled despite herself, feeling a blush take hold of the entirety of her face. That was the nicest thing anybody had ever said about her.

"Better?" he asked, drying the tears from her face.

"Yeah," she timidly answered.

"Come on, let's go get some ice cream. We can go buy a quart and take it back home. My siblings will be thrilled," he offered, taking her hand.

Jon's protectiveness made her stomach clench in a weird, pleasant way, like she had butterflies inside her body.

He didn't hesitate to jump in and scare her harasser away. He had always been there for her. He had always _seen_ her, ever since the first day they met.

His hand was warm as it held her own, the soothing contact spreading comforting tingles all the way up her arm, and for a long while it was enough.

* * *

One day, she went to the mansion only to find that Jon and Robb had a friend over as well.

Dany had just stepped into the Starks' living room when she heard a girl laughing. Her first thought was that maybe Sansa had friends over, but as she turned the corner she noticed that the stranger was laughing with Jon and Robb, playing videogames with them.

The girl looked like she was the same age as the two boys, and had her long, wavy hair dyed a shocking shade of green. Her mother would never let her dye her hair such a color. She looked so mature, the swell of actual breasts visible under her shirt, the pitch of her voice different from Dany's own.

She sat so close to Jon. Dany stood for a long time on the threshold, unnoticed, until the green-haired girl laughed prettily at something Jon said, placing a hand on his forearm.

Dany didn't know what to do.

Her first impulse was to say _something_, to make her presence known, even if she would end up stuttering for sure. No, even better, to climb on the couch right in between Jon and the green-haired girl. But she was paralyzed, unable to move except for her gaping mouth.

When the girl bumped her head against Jon's shoulder, still laughing, her stomach plummeted and Dany wanted to evaporate on the spot.

Her legs somehow unfrozen, gaining the ability to move again as she tried to run to the stairs, far too eager to disappear from sight, but she must have made some noise, for the guys' heads snapped in her direction, Jon's face breaking into a blinding beam.

"Dany!" he called before he raised the joystick and shook it. "Wanna play?"

"N- not really, no," she stammered, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson.

"Come meet Wylla at least," Robb beckoned, while Jon was still smiling at her. The green-haired girl was observing her curiously, a slight upturn of her lips that Dany didn't know how to read.

Dany forced some words out of her throat, already shifting her feet towards the door, ready to flee. "No, I- is Arya upstairs?"

"Aye, she is."

"Have fun then," she stammered, running away from their sight, but stopping right behind the corner when she heard the green-haired girl speak.

"She's weird," Dany heard her comment. "Are all of your sister's friends so weird?"

She almost wanted to cry, but she ran away instead, barging into Arya's room like a killer was chasing her.

Arya raised an eyebrow in question, clutching at her heart. "What the hell, Dany. What's going on?"

She plastered a forced smile on her face. "Nothing. It's nothing," she breathed out.

* * *

"Don't say that," Jon frowned. "She's a nice kid. And she doesn't like to be called weird."

"Well, she _is_ a bit weird."

"Give him a break, Wylla, Jon bites if you talk ill of Dany," Robb laughed good-naturedly.

Jon frowned, a lump of frustration forming in his throat. Robb had become absolutely insufferable lately, too much time spent with Theon and his newly discovered popularity with girls in high school apparently going to his head.

Robb liked Dany as well and had always defended her in the past, but he was now trying to get edgy Wylla Manderly to like him enough for a kiss and thus started to behave like a bit of a dick.

"So what?" he defensively spat back. "You know as much as I do how much she has been bullied for her looks."

"Nah, her looks are cool," Wylla pensively stated, slouching back on the couch. "Peculiar, aye, and I can see why she's getting bullied. Little kids are the worst. But as soon as she grows up, I can see her getting quite popular. You've seen Val from class 2C, right? Last year she dyed her hair silver, and everyone wanted to go out with her."

"I remember that," Robb grumbled. He had been part of that _everyone_, although his crush on Val had lasted all of two weeks.

"But she's... I don't know, weird. Have you seen how she glared at me?" Wylla went on.

"Dany doesn't _glare_. She's just shy," Jon frowned.

"Perhaps," the green-haired girl shrugged. "Hey, you promised me that you would let me play _The Weirwood Quest_, Robb," Wylla smiled, shaking the controller in her hand.

Robb grinned and complied to her request. He and Jon took turns as the second player, but then he started feeling more and more like he was the third wheel in their presence. Robb was scooting closer to Wylla as the minutes passed, and Jon soon understood that his presence was superfluous.

"Hey, I'm... tired of playing videogames," he began. "I'll leave you two to it, eh? I'm going to- check on something."

"Oh, you sure?" Robb asked, even as the hopeful glint in his eyes contrasted with the tone of his voice.

"Yeah. I have homework anyway," Jon shrugged, managing to contain the roll of his eyes when Robb winked at him behind Wylla's shoulder.

Jon was almost ashamed at the sudden sting of jealousy that coursed through him. Not that he liked Wylla, not like that. She was cute, that much was true, but Jon didn't feel for her the same attraction that Robb felt. But to feel that spark for _someone_... he often wondered how soft a girl's lips would be against his mouth or if a girl's hands on him would feel different than his own.

* * *

He was sixteen when he met Ygritte.

Ygritte was an exchange student from Hardhome and was a year ahead of him, in the same class as Robb. She had hair so red it looked like fire and a scatter of adorable freckles on her face. There was a mischievous glint in her grey-blue eyes, something almost predatory in the way she looked – specifically, in the way she looked at _him_.

Jon thought he might have made up that particular detail in his mind – he had noticed her, after all, but it didn't take long to realize it wasn't wishful thinking on his part.

"Hey," Robb started one day, chuckling and winking at him. "You will never guess who asked about you today."

"Who?" he widened his eyes.

"You know that exchange stud-"

"Shut your mouth, Stark," Ygritte boomed from behind their shoulders, making them both jump. "I don't need no intermediaries," she smiled sweetly when they turned to her, both guys' cheeks flushed red.

"Jon, right? What your nosy brother was about to tell you is that I think you're cute."

"M-me?" he stuttered.

"Yes, you. First time a girl tell you that?"

"Well..." he could only nod, feeling like a right fool.

"Must be they're blind," she shrugged, inching closer to him, that feral glint growing bolder as she did. "Anyway, I’m not. We should go out on a date," she declared.

Jon realized he was gaping at her like a fish only when she arched an eyebrow, looking impatient. "Oh, aye, I mean... a date. Of course. We should."

"Great," she beamed, her slightly crooked teeth glinting white under the neon lights of the hallway. Jon thought they made her even cuter. "Let's meet on Saturday, then. I want you to take me to the movies, Jon Stark," she winked, turning on her heels as the bell rang for classes.

Robb teased him mercilessly about it the entire way home, as Jon had expected him to do.

"About time for you to find a girlfriend," he laughed, bumping their shoulders together.

"She's not my girlfriend. I never even spoke to her before today."

"She asked you out, you said yes. Seems like a girlfriend to me," Robb shrugged.

Jon chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. He supposed that was fair.

"Wait until I tell the others-"

"No," Jon stopped him, grasping his arm to make his brother look at him. "Not yet?" he asked in a softer tone, realizing how harsh he had sounded. It wasn't rational, he knew, and it was clear Robb was bewildered by the way he was now looking at him. Jon wasn't sure himself why he felt so... _uncomfortable_ sharing it.

"I just... want to go out with her before I tell the others. Like, be sure it's not a total disaster."

"Oh," Robb grinned, patting his back so they could resume their walk. "Of course. I know Theon can be a pain in the ass-"

"Not even Arya."

"Not- not even Arya? Why? You tell everything to Arya."

Jon just shrugged, not sure himself in the first place. He could count on Robb, though. His brother owed him far too many white lies with their parents to break his trust.

Saturday came faster than expected, the anxiety churning and raging in his chest, along with the slight guilt at having to lie to his sister as to where he was going.

Ygritte wasn't conventionally beautiful, but there was something in the way she spoke and moved that fascinated him. She was confident and bold, unapologetic in her interest to him, and it didn't take much to learn that she loved to tease him and make him blush. Jon wasn't sure why she wanted to go out with him instead of the older guys, but he was happy that she did.

Their first kiss took him entirely by surprise, making her laugh when he blushed to the roots. It was nice to hear the sound of her mirth from her lips, the twinkling in her eyes easing any embarrassment that he felt.

_"Liar!"_ Arya shouted at him when he came home. He stood on the threshold, completely befuddled until Robb snickered.

Jon turned to glare at him, but Robb defensively raised his hands. "I didn't say anything!" He pointed to the mirror and then to his own lips, "But if you come home looking like that everyone is going to know anyway."

_Seven hells. _He hadn't noticed he still had lipstick smudged all over his lips.

"Arya, wait!" he shouted, running after her so he could apologize profusely for lying to her.

"I'm sorry, Arya," he said. "I never wanted to lie to you."

"Then why you did?" she asked, her loud voice almost making him wince.

"I just... wanted to be sure it would go well, you know?"

"You're so _stupid_," she sighed. "Even if it went bad, I wouldn't have mocked you! We always talked about everything!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Promise me you won't do that again," she pleaded. Jon's head snapped up to look at her at the sound of her voice, so small, so vulnerable. It was silly to keep things from her, Jon realized. Arya would never betray his trust. She had been his best friend ever since she came into the world, and now she was fearing that he was growing up too fast.

Jon stepped closer to her, encircling his arms around her small frame and squeezing tightly. "I promise, Needle."

* * *

"Daenerys!" Rhaella yelled from downstairs. "Are you still on the phone?"

"Just a minute, mom!" she shouted back.

On the other end of the line, Arya giggled. "It's never going to be one minute."

"Never," Dany grinned, walking around the room and stopping in front of the terrarium to lightly tap the glass where Drogon was sleeping. The lazy salamander peeked an eye open at her, then kept on ignoring her.

"Anyway," her friend continued, "We _must_ go see this movie. I've been waiting for this moment for years!"

Dany laughed, bouncing back on the bed, almost tangling her feet with the long cord of her yellow plastic phone. Arya's excitement was so obvious she could clearly picture her jumping around her own room, thrilled that a movie about Princess Nymeria of the Rhoyne was coming to theaters soon.

"This Saturday," she repeated for the umpteenth time, "I don't want to wait a day more."

"Of course," she confirmed, twirling her finger around the phone cord. "Is- is Jon coming as well?" she asked. Jon had seemed as enthusiastic as the two of them about the upcoming movie, and Dany knew he wouldn't deny Arya if she asked.

"Nah. The doofus wants to go to the evening show with his girlfriend. _Pathetic_," Arya scoffed, making Dany freeze.

"His- his girlfriend?"

"Aye, some girl from his school. She came around a few times, and they're always smooching on the couch." Arya made a sound like she was feigning to gag, but it was Dany who felt the sour taste of vomit.

"Oh, ok," she forced out, "It's me and you then. I'm sorry, Arya, mom wants... she wants the phone."

"Alright. See ya tomorrow!" Arya's cheerful voice didn't lift her mood. Huffing, Dany rolled with her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Dany wasn't stupid. She _knew_ it was bound to happen at some point. Yet, it was always a distant consideration, something that she never really thought would happen so soon. Her eyes stung and her chin began to wobble. Before the tears could escape the trap of her lashes, she moved to sit on the bed, looking at her own reflection in the big mirror on the opposite wall.

She supposed she was cute, in a way. Her hair was so long that it came to the small of her back, and fewer and fewer people mocked her for its colour, starting instead to compliment it, as well as her peculiar eyes.

He had said she looked like a fairy, once.

And yet, her face was too round and childish above a body that was nothing like that of a woman, the ridiculously small swell of her breasts almost mocking her, not enough to conceal the fact that she was still just a child.

She growled when she realized that tears had escaped from her lids, throwing a pillow against her reflection and hiding her sorrow under the duvet.

* * *

Jon had been so wrapped up in his new relationship that he failed to realize the impact his absence had on his siblings, particularly Arya. She had accused him of ignoring her one day. "It's not fair! First Robb, and now you! Urggghh, I wish you never found a girlfriend!"

She slammed the door in his face and locked it. Jon sighed, slumping against the wall right beside it. It pained him that it hurt her, that she was missing him. Jon realized that this new situation had been abrupt for the both of them, but while he was high on the thrill of his very first relationship, on Arya's side it had only been a _loss_.

She was only twelve and had always been quite disinterested in notions of romance, unlike Sansa, or even little Dany. She just missed her big brother.

"Arya," he talked, his voice soft but loud enough to be carried through the locked door. "I'm sorry. I'm just... I didn't realize. You will understand when you grow up and find someone you like."

"I _never_ will!" she shouted.

"Now that's just stupid." Closing his eyes, he berated himself for getting them to this point. "I promise I'll spend more time with you, ok? We can maybe do things with Ygritte sometimes, I mean, not _all_ the time-"

The door opened again, Arya's frown appearing right behind it. "Are you going to kiss all the time? Because that's embarrassing."

Jon laughed then, feeling his cheeks redden. "Maybe," he shrugged. "It's not so bad once you try it, you know? Just wait a few years before I have to kill someone," he jested.

_That_ made her smile. "Idiot in love," she shook her head. "You have to promise me _at least_ one day a week. Only me, you and sometimes Dany. Just like it was."

"Just like it was," he smiled, hugging her briefly before she laughingly swatted him away.

Jon was a man of his word and he prided himself in that. So when he kept to his vow to spend more time with his siblings and to spoil Arya rotten at least a day a week, his relationship with his favourite sister started relaxing again. The first week he took her to the movies – even if he had already watched that movie with Ygritte – the second he indulged her with hot chocolate at their favourite childhood spot.

Dany had been absent the first week but came along with them the second time around.

Jon was happy about that, too. If he were being honest with himself, he even kind of missed having her around.

"We almost never talk lately," he told her on the way home. "It was nice to get to do the things we did when we were little again."

"We did them up until two months ago," she replied rather flatly.

He snapped his head in her direction, a bit thrown off by her tone, but she only smiled, although it wasn't one of those deep smiles that made dimples appear on her cheeks. "It was nice, yes," she quickly added.

A gust of cold wind washed over them as they walked, making Dany shiver.

"Winter is coming," he grinned. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were pink from the cold, and he could swear he could hear the chattering of her teeth.

"Here," he said, unknotting the light grey woollen scarf from around his neck, inching closer to wrap it around hers instead. She was looking at him from beneath her lashes, cheeks growing redder despite now being protected from the cold.

She had always had the most beautiful eyes. Jon had often wondered if everyone in Valyria had eyes so beautiful or if it was just her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked when she moved her gaze away, pointedly looking to the tip of her boots. "You've been quite silent today."

"Of course," she smiled, fleetingly looking at him again, her voice far too cheerful.

"It's getting late," Arya said, checking the time on her phone as she walked closer to them. "Better go before mom makes a scene. Dany, want to stay for dinner?"

"Sure, why not," she smiled. Then she lowered her voice, turning again towards him as Arya sauntered away, singing silly songs under her breath.

"Thanks for the scarf," Dany said. "I'll give it back to you next time."

"You can keep it, Dany."

The smile that spread on her face was bright and genuine, her eyes twinkling. It made his breath catch, for he just now realized how much he had missed her smile.

Had she always been this _cute?_

Shaking his head, he smiled back at her, trying to chase away the thought.


	3. Hiding in Plain Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe this chapter is an 8k monster? Me neither.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Immense thanks to Sharon, Alice and Martha for helping me shape this chapter from a pile of randomness to something somewhat coherent. I'd be so lost without you, I swear. ❤️
> 
> Moodboard by the lovely aliciutza.
> 
> Betaed by my senpai LustOnMyFingers.

When the school year ended, Ygritte returned to Hardhome.

Jon was _miserable_.

He knew it would happen, he knew she would go back home at some point. Still, when the time came he found himself entirely unprepared.

At first, he was quite optimistic. Ygritte was waiting for him by the bleachers after school, a mere week before her flight North.

"Hardhome is not so far after all," he said, hiding his fidgeting in his pockets. "We can see each other every few weekends, spend the summer together. There are a lot of holidays that-"

"Jon," she interrupted him. "It's been wonderful but I don't want a long-distance relationship."

"I mean, it's not ideal but we can-"

"_Jon_," she sighed. "It's not going to work."

He steeled himself even as his heart broke. Suppressing the sting of tears, he nodded, not quite meeting her eyes. "Aye. Aye, you're right. It was fun while it lasted."

"It was," she winked. “Don’t be so sad, Jon Stark. With your looks, you will find someone to replace me in no time.”

She patted the empty spot beside her, all friendliness and smiles, but he made up some quick excuse about having plans with Robb and ran home instead, sadness and anger churning in his stomach in an uncomfortable mix. He couldn't stay around her and pretend it didn't bother him.

How could she sound so cool about never seeing each other again? How could she have the heart to smile at the idea of being _replaced?_

Did she even care at all?

For a good week, Jon holed himself in his room, listening to The Smiths and reading, at turns trying to distract his mind from his recent heartbreak and torturing himself with painfully detailed replays of how she broke up with him.

Until one day, Arya barged into his room.

"You've been moping long enough," she all but shouted.

"Arya?" he blinked, peering up from the comic book he was reading. "How did you come in? I thought I locked the door."

She smirked, holding up a bobby pin. "I learned how to pick locks."

"Wow," he sighed, setting aside his book and slumping back on the pillows. "Something tells me it's better not to ask."

"Wise big brother." She approached closer, shoving the bobby pin roughly back into her hair before she yanked the blanket from him, making him yelp.

"Arya! What if I was in my underwear?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Get up, you've been miserable for a whole week already."

Jon huffed loudly, but he complied to his sister's bossy demands all the same. Grumbling, he rose from the bed, asking a very smug Arya to leave so that he could change into some proper clothes. When he opened the door again, she was waiting for him.

"Ok," he groaned. "What are we doing?"

"We're going to the pool. Just because you've embraced this whole _oh-my-heart-is-so-broken _attitude it doesn't mean I have to indulge it. You _will _have some fun today,” his sister solemnly declared, swatting a finger at his chest.

He rolled his eyes, holding back a smile at the younger girl’s antics. Arya was a deeply caring person, even if she expressed it in a raw, unfiltered way that made some people feel uncomfortable.

But never him. He had always loved his wild little sister the most.

Despite his worst expectations, Arya’s promise fulfilled itself. Jon tried to stubbornly cling to his own grumpiness at first, but he had to admit to himself that it felt good being out under the sun, enjoying the freedom of summer and some company again.

Arya had a new group of mismatched friends, some of them a bit older than her and closer to Jon’s own age. The boy Gendry was just a year younger than Jon and went to the same high school, even though they never talked much before. Lommy and Hot Pie were Dany’s age and quite entertaining in their bickering.

Dany came along as well, looking more cheerful than usual now that school was over.

“I guess we will see each other more often come fall,” she said, grinning and pulling an errand strand of damp moonlight hair behind her ear.

“What do you mean?”

Her smile grew more bashful when she answered. “We will go to the same school. I mean, I will come to yours.”

“Oh, right,” he smiled, the pieces clicking together. “Yeah, I guess we'll see each other every day. Do you already know if there will be people you know in your class?”

“No, not yet. I’ll have to pester you at recess to have someone to hang out with,” she smiled, even if a tone of uncertainty lingered in her voice.

“Please, do,” he reassured her. “Even though you’ll end up having so many friends you’ll probably forget about me.”

“I doubt that will happen,” she laughed, the cheerful sound making him smile in return. “Come on, Jon, let’s do laps. I bet I can swim faster than you.”

When he grinned and nodded, Dany immediately jumped out of her deckchair and towards the pool, yelling “Last to dive in buys ice cream for the other!”

“Hey, that’s unfair!” he shouted back, but couldn’t contain his laughter as he caught up with her, all his sadness forgotten.

* * *

After Ygritte came Val.

The news had first come from Arya, of course, but not three days into her first year of high school, Dany saw them kissing in the hallway, with lots of tongue involved, until a janitor loudly scolded them.

She had stared at them for a bit, half-hidden behind a corner, before running off, feeling nauseated.

Val was a year older than Jon and probably the most popular girl in school. She was undoubtedly beautiful with her light grey eyes and pretty lips on a lovely heart-shaped face, but Dany couldn’t help but loathe the sight of her. Especially of her long hair, coming down her back in a dyed silver that looked terribly _fake_.

Her rational side knew that the older girl never did anything wrong to her, but that calm, collected voice simply disappeared whenever she saw her and Jon together, leaving just anger and frustration in its place.

She was upfront and bold and flirted shamelessly with him all the time, even when Jon invited Dany to stay with them and their friends. It was so unbearable that Dany soon started to avoid them as much as she could, desperately seeking the company of whoever would give her a quick excuse to dodge Jon and his _girlfriend_.

On the bright side, that forced her to fight her shyness and come out of her shell.

“It’s not like they’re together _together_,” Arya gossiped one day. “I’m not even sure he likes her that much. Most of the time he’s either horny or annoyed with her.”

Dany supposed there might have been some truth in her words, considering the equal amount of time Jon and Val seemed to spend fighting and making out. It didn’t make things any less uncomfortable for her.

True to Arya’s words, their relationship didn't last too long, and it was mostly on-and-off the entire time anyway.

When the year ended and Val set off to college, Jon didn’t seem too perturbed. Many girls at school seemed to have noticed the same thing, though, swarming around him whenever they could. Dany couldn’t do much but suppress a groan for the umpteenth time, silently cursing her stubborn heart.

Jon was in his last year of high school now and was fairly popular with girls, even if he seemed painfully oblivious to it all. He kept on seeking her out sometimes, inviting her to hang out with his friends, and she could never say no to him, even if she knew she should distance herself from him if she ever hoped to be free from this constant heartbreak. But she couldn’t hope to resist Jon’s bright smile every time he saw her. Even if it crushed her hopes, it still made her feel special.

Some of the girls from her year were jealous of her, she knew, but it was little consolation. She wanted more, but he always seemed to grow just out of her reach. It was _exhausting_.

* * *

It was almost at the end of summer when Wylla threw a party at her house, inviting so many people it felt more crowded than the school corridors at recess.

Her parents were away to visit some distant relatives in the Reach, and Wylla and her older sister Wynafryd had decided not to let such a juicy occasion go to waste.

The Manderly sisters had invited most of the Starks, leaving out only Bran and Rickon since they were still too young to be witnesses to all the booze they planned on having. But Robb, Jon, Sansa and Arya had all been invited, and Dany as well, for her and Wylla had been more friendly ever since the green-haired girl hooked up with Robb.

Dany had just come back after a month-long family trip in Essos, and Jon had only seen her in passing. As he chilled out in the garden, he almost didn't notice her coming, but Theon did, and let out a low, lewd whistle.

"Damn, puberty's looking good on Targaryen," he commented, perking up on his seat and lowering his sunglasses. "I like the look of tits on her."

Robb barely paid him any attention, but Jon felt the blood freeze in his veins.

"I mean, come on. Tell me you wouldn't tap _that_," Theon went on. He wiggled his brows and nodded towards Dany, standing a few feet away in a skimpy white summer dress, the tip of her long silver braid bobbing around her waist. She was tanned from her holiday and had the lightest spray of freckles on her nose. Her full lips stretched in a bright smile before she let out the most infectious laugh as she reacted to something Arya said. It made Jon’s stomach churn, overwhelmed by the sudden urge to commit _murder_.

Before he could jump on Theon, though, Robb was already restraining him. "Jon, calm down!"

"What the hell, Robb! That's _Dany_ he's talking about!"

"I know, relax. Dany knows how to handle this asshole, remember?" Robb sighed, before glaring and pointing his finger at Theon, who was chuckling incredulously. "And _you_. Keep your filthy hands off of her or I'll help him beat your arse."

"Why? You can't call dibs on her just because she's your sister's bestie."

"I'm not calling dibs, you fucking arsehole. She's fifteen. And I won't have you treat her like you do all girls," Jon grumbled, clenching his hands into fists so hard it almost hurt.

"Whatever, Stark," Theon shrugged, immediately distracted by the sight of Jeyne Poole frolicking around in a tight miniskirt.

“I might fucking kill him one day,” Jon grumbled as Theon stalked off towards his new target. “Make it look like an accident or something.”

“Damn, Jon, you take him way too seriously. Dany knows him well enough not to fall for his bullshit,” Robb shrugged. “You can’t lose your shit every time some asshole makes eye contact with her. She’s growing up, just get over it. She can handle herself.”

“I’m not _losing my shit_,” Jon replied with an indignant scoff. “I’m just looking out for her.” He pushed his sunglasses back, brooding over Robb’s words. His eyes always fell back onto Dany despite how much he tried to tear his gaze away.

Jon wasn’t blind, Dany was beautiful. She had always been, but growing up had an especially good effect on her, some of her childish features still lingering but not enough to conceal the beauty of the woman she was about to become. To his horror, he realized Theon wasn’t the only one leering at her, and even if Robb was right in saying she could defend herself, it still made Jon’s blood boil.

He felt like he had to protect her, somehow.

_Bunch of fuckboys._

For all his glaring, it didn’t change a thing. Little shy Dany didn’t look so shy anymore. She was constantly surrounded by friends, talking and laughing with some people Jon didn’t even know. At some point, she caught sight of him and almost looked like she was about to come to talk to him, but inevitably someone would whisk her away, and Jon had to make do with the tiny wave and bright smile she sent him from a distance.

* * *

At sixteen, a boy asked her out and she accepted for the first time.

Daario was one year older than her and had the looks of a _bad boy_. He had some semblance of a beard already, dyed blue the same as his hair. He always wore a leather jacket and listened to a lot of punk music.

He usually hung out with some guys from the last year and there were rumours that he carried knives with him sometimes, but he was always kind to Dany. And he was from Essos, too, so they had that in common. It was nice to have someone other than her family members to reminisce memories of the distant continent with.

_It's not like I have to do anything with him_, she thought as she prepared herself for their first date. _Just get to know him better._

They met in downtown Winterfell on a Saturday evening to go to the movies, and although Dany felt a bit shy at the beginning, she soon found that Daario was quite easy to talk to.

Their fingers brushed together in the darkness of the theater, the warm touch sending tingles up her arm. Shrouded only in the dim light of the projector behind their heads, his hair looked almost black.

After the credits rolled, they walked in Winterfell's central park, talking and laughing. It was full of young people around, as it was normal on a spring Saturday evening.

Dany burrowed herself further in her scarf to ward off the cold breeze that always descended on the North at night. "I wasn't really expecting for the movie to end that way," she said.

"It was quite predictable, come on. I guessed it around the end of the first half."

Dany rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. In the short time they've known each other, she had figured out that Daario was the kind of guy that liked to boast about _everything_.

She just laughed, and felt his fingers slip in between hers. Dany came to a stop, Daario's blue eyes boring into her own. "It's been really great with you tonight, Daenerys," he said, licking his lips and leaning towards her. "You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

"Thank you," she murmured thickly, unable to tear her eyes away from his face inching closer, so close. She had never kissed a boy, and so often wondered what it would feel like to. To feel the touch of foreign lips on her own, tongues tentatively seeking each other, the slight brush of a man's beard on her delicate skin, her hands tugging on the soft curls as a deep voice would drawl out her name – _Dany_ – with the thick accent of the North-

Daario never called her Dany, she distantly remembered. _It's all wrong._

"I'm sorry," she panicked, deflecting his puckered lips to give him a quick kiss on the cheek instead, before she ran off towards her home.

She had expected for him to never seek her out again after that, but Daario surprised her, playing it off like nothing weird ever happened between them. He asked her out again, this time suggesting they go out to dinner to a greasy burger joint on the outskirts of the city. Dany was unsure about this invitation, but she eventually talked herself into giving Daario a second chance.

_Maybe it was just my nerves_, she mused. _Maybe I can like him if I go out with him again. _

So she said yes, but even as she couldn’t find anything wrong in him, her heart was lukewarm at most towards him, and the blue-haired boy never ended up having his kiss.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” she lamented to her best friend not two days after their last awkward encounter. The two girls were chilling on the big old couch at the Starks, a movie playing on the tv even as they paid no attention to it.

“We like who we like, Dany,” Arya shrugged, “You can’t force yourself to be into someone if you’re not.”

Dany sighed deeply, “I bet he hates me now.”

“That’s his damned problem.”

The door suddenly opened and Jon walked in, clad in sweaty gym clothes. He tossed a duffel bag on the floor and froze when he noticed the two of them on the couch.

“Hello, Jon,” Dany greeted, while Arya simply made a face at him.

Jon nodded to them before blurting, "I saw you Saturday.”

"Well, you could have said hi," she grinned. Arya hummed, popping a fry into her mouth.

"You seemed quite cozy. I'm not sure you would have appreciated the interruption."

The smile faded from Dany’s face at the uncharacteristic coldness in his tone, replaced instead by a look of confusion. Despite that, a pink blush spread on her cheeks as she understood the implication. "Oh, well-"

"You shouldn't go out with that guy," Jon said.

Both Dany and Arya froze, the younger girl’s eyes snapping up at him with a frown. Dany was squirming in her seat, but when she spoke again, her voice was firm. "And why is that?"

"He's... I've heard about him," he stuttered, his previous boldness simmering down to an embarrassed blush in front of the two girls scowling at him. "He's not... good. Enough for you, I mean."

"Because he dyes his hair, or because you heard around that he got involved in a fight, which one is it, Jon?" she snapped. Dany had never snapped at him before, but she couldn’t help the frustration that bubbled in her chest. She was trying her best to let go of her childish crush on Jon, only to have him making things even more difficult than what they already were. _It’s so unfair_, she couldn’t help but lament to herself. "Well, let me break the news to you, those rumours are all bullshit. He's nice and kind, a bit rough around the edges, maybe, but he's always been nice to me."

"That's not what-"

"And anyway, it is not any of your business. You're not my brother, Jon. Sometimes I feel like you forget that." With that said, she hastily stood from the couch and stormed out of the room, slamming the door.

* * *

"What the fuck was that?" he murmured, dumbfounded.

"No, Jon, what the fuck was _that_," Arya retorted, the cold glare in her eyes a good reminder that it was not the right time to scold her for cursing. "A judgemental brat who believes in rumours at face value is _not_ the brother I know."

"Seriously?" he scoffed. "You've met him, haven't you? And you think he's good for Dany, really?"

"Seven hells, Jon, she's sixteen. It's not like she has to marry the guy," Arya rebutted. "He's nice _enough_ for what they have to do."

His stomach clenched uncomfortably at the implications in Arya’s words, almost making him feel nauseous. "Do you think they- they-"

"She would have told me if they did. I don't think anything has happened so far," Arya said. She was staring at him, a slight frown furrowing her brows.

"What?" he asked.

"Why do you care so much?"

"Why do I... _Arya_. I care about her, like I care about you, or Sansa. It's only normal that I feel protective of her."

"No, it's not. You didn't freak out this much when Sansa had a fling with Harry Hardyng, and in that case, at least you had some proof that he was a bit of a dick."

His mouth snapped shut, frustration rising when he couldn't rebuke that. Arya continued, shrugging, "She dumped him anyway." His sister stood then, moving towards the door. "I'm going to find her."

Arya left him there, dumbfounded. Now that he was left alone in the room, he felt like an utter idiot. _I'm not your sister_, she had lashed out.

A few years past, Jon might have described her as some sort of extra little sister, but he couldn't look at her in that way anymore, despite her belief that that was how he saw her still. Arya was right, too. He had always been protective of all of them, but it was the first time that it was tinged with the bitterness of... _jealousy_. Jon scoffed to himself, shaking the absurd thought from his head. _Bullshit. It can't be._

And why had it upset Dany so much? At first, he thought it was because she was smitten with the blue-haired idiot, but then Arya said she dumped him. So why defend him? It made no sense.

Scoffing and cursing himself for what he was about to do, he stood and went searching for Dany as well. He found her outside with Arya in their favourite childhood spot, swaying half-heartedly on the old swings by the oak tree in the garden.

"Dany," he began, "Is it true that you're not even seeing him anymore?"

"What about it?" she replied, the defensiveness still clear in her voice.

"Why did you dump him if you like him so much?" he asked. Her eyes widened at his question, but she didn't answer. "Did he say something to you? Or _do_ something to you?"

"_What? _No, what the hell-" she scoffed. "_Jon_. What's up with you today?"

"It's just... I don't like him. And if he ever does something to you I'm going to-”

“Do what?” Arya scoffed mockingly, arching a brow. “Yeet his arse off this planet?”

“Maybe so!” he exclaimed, spreading his arms, but his sister was unperturbed.

“Jon, you’re being dramatic,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

When he looked at Dany, though, she was _fuming_.

"He did nothing, and you're being stupid!" she suddenly yelled, her face turning red as it often happened when she was angry. Jon gulped.

"I dumped him because I don't like him enough, but that does not mean that he deserves your prejudice!"

"You can't blame me for caring about you," he tried to explain, somewhat managing to keep his voice level.

Dany widened her eyes, her face assuming a pained expression.

"I'm not doing this. I _can't,_" she angrily muttered. She stood from the swing and started walking towards the gate. "I'm not your little sister," she hissed at him, again, on her way out. She was about to cry, he could see, eyes glassy and red.

"You're such an idiot," Arya stated when Dany finally disappeared from sight.

"_Me?_ Arya, I'm just trying to look out for her."

"You're not. You're being possessive," she retorted. "She's not _yours_, you know that?"

"That's not at all what I meant-"

"Oh, cut the bullshit," Arya scoffed. "What was she supposed to do? Stay there forever mooning for you while you keep bringing girlfriends home? I'm going with her," Arya said before leaving him alone, emotions a raging storm in his chest.

* * *

"Dany!" Arya called.

She whipped her head back, a few tears escaping from her eyes down her cheek. Hastily, she wiped them away before Arya could catch up with her.

"Hey," she crooned, coming to a stop beside her and hugging her tightly. "He's an idiot."

Dany sobbed then, the tears finally escaping her in earnest.

"I know," Arya gently whispered in her ear. "Let it all out."

Arya _knew_, she suddenly realized, melting into her embrace and letting the emotions flow out of her eyes. How could she not? She had been too wild and absorbed into her world of adventure when she was younger, but growing up Arya had become an observant, scarily intelligent girl, barely missing a thing with her attentive gaze and sharp sense of reality.

"Of course you know," Dany sniffled against her shoulder. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I could ask you the same question," Arya answered, although there was gentleness in her voice. "You were never ready to talk about it, and so I waited."

"Does he know?" Dany hesitantly asked, wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater.

"Who, that oblivious dolt? You know him," Arya sighed. "He couldn't tell a woman was into him if she was singing it from a rooftop. He's terrible."

"It's better this way. You heard him, he will always see me as a little sister, and nothing more. Don't tell him anything, please."

"Then he's blind," Arya smiled. "You're a thousand times better than the girls he's been with so far."

"He keeps treating me like a child."

"He won’t do that forever."

Dany scoffed, but Arya pressed on, a teasing grin on her face. "I'm serious! He acts all high and mighty ever since he started college, but he's just three years older than you. That will be _nothing_ in a couple more years. And you know that he loves you already-"

"As a sister," Dany sighed.

"Yeah, that's the crap he keeps telling himself all the time. Then he sees you hanging out with another guy and goes full-on annoying assbrat on you. He never did that with Sansa, why?"

"He always spent more time with me and you than with Sansa."

"I think he's jealous. An oblivious jealous idiot."

"Arya..." Dany sighed. "Please, stop it. I... I have accepted it. Not fully, maybe, but I have accepted it. Just... let's forget it, alright?"

"Ok," Arya surrendered, letting out a loud sigh. "Come on, give me a hug. I'll walk you home. We can talk shit about my brother on the way there."

Dany chuckled, hugging her best friend. "That sounds perfect."

That night, Daenerys Targaryen did something that she hadn't done in years: she rummaged inside her wardrobe until she found the old box where she kept trinkets and memories from her childhood. There, she found the dusty dragon plushie she used to bring with her everywhere she went as a child.

She clutched her old stuffed friend close to her chest, a few sparse tears wetting the pillow as she tried to sleep, but much to her surprise she managed not to bawl her eyes out entirely.

The years spent yearning for Jon were wearing on her, leaving her heart tired and exhausted of the constant ache. He was always so close to her and yet unreachable, always growing taller and older while she struggled to keep up.

She had thought she was finally ready to move on in the last year when the boys her age had suddenly stopped mocking her for looking different and started acting interested instead. Dany wasn't blind, she was well aware that she grew nicely into her exotic features, and could see the effect that it had on the boys.

She had tried forgetting Jon with Daario, maybe without much conviction, but she had tried. Dany wasn't ready yet, but soon she could be. She could finally fall in love with someone else and in a few years maybe she would laugh at herself for pining after Jon Stark for _ten years_.

"Fuck," she muttered to herself, the realization hitting her with more awareness than it usually did. Ten years of her life she had been a slave of his smile and charcoal eyes.

_No more_, she decided.

It had happened only because she allowed it. She would keep her distance, write him a letter maybe, or find some other closure. Then, she would patiently wait for time to take its course and slowly erode the feelings from her heart, like the waves do with sandcastles.

In the dim light of the full moon that filtered from her windows, her gaze fell on the grey scarf draped over her chair, the one that he gave to her. It was so old and used it looked dull and consumed, for she wore it every time she could.

_It’s become an ugly scarf_, she mused with a bit of sadness. _But I clung to it through all these years all the same._

Sighing, she finally closed her eyes to sleep, deciding it was time to get rid of the past before it could weigh her down any further.

* * *

Dany was driving him crazy.

She had avoided him since their last altercation over the blue-haired asshole. At first, although displeased, Jon had accepted it. He guessed he had acted a little bit like a dickhead, and that she needed some time to forgive him and go back to being sweet old Dany.

That had been two months ago.

After his own bitterness had subsided, Jon had to face two terrible truths: the first, he missed her more than he could ever have imagined. He was so used to having her constantly around, to the bright smiles and quick wit that delighted him, that he had never stopped to think how awful it would be to lose that. The second, that it had happened because of his own stupidity. He had been so rushed and oblivious to his own heart, he had made a grave mistake and drove her away from him. In some sense, a part of him felt almost grateful for her cold shoulder, for it had brought a clarity he had never had before.

He missed her, and he had driven her away because he was nought but a jealous fool, and the thought of losing her devastated him.

He was most definitely in love with her, and she didn’t want to spend time with him anymore because he hadn’t been able to own that feeling.

Jon couldn’t stop groaning at the thought, repeatedly cursing himself.

She didn't seem to be angry at him: of course they still ran into each other a lot, for Dany kept coming to their house with a regular frequency, but her tone had been far from what he was used to from her. She was courteous and nice, but somewhat cold and distant, and he had the specific impression that she was actively avoiding him, going as far as to change rooms if he was to walk into the same space as her.

It fucking _hurt_.

Everyone had noticed his gloominess, it seemed.

"What's the matter, bro?" Robb had finally asked at some point, the curiosity clear to read on his face. "You're being even more broody than usual. Did somebody dump you?"

Arya scoffed at his side, and he cast her a venomous glance, but the little shit didn't keep her mouth shut. "_Of sorts_," she said, still holding her laughter.

"Nobody dumped me recently."

"Aye, and you're mad because Dany won't talk to you."

"She _does_ talk to me... occasionally."

"Not as much as you would like her to," Arya rebutted.

"Ahhh, so that's the matter?" Robb asked. "I noticed something was amiss between you two. Did you finally confess your feelings and scare her off?"

"My feelings-" he scoffed. "_My feelings!_ She's a child!"

"She's been seventeen for a whole month now and you're still pissed that you weren't invited to her nameday party. You were seventeen as well when you hooked up with Ygritte," Arya said.

"I don't have feelings for Dany," he lied, immediately wincing when the words left his lips. Wasn’t this the reason why she had stopped talking to him? He felt like a coward, and yet it was so difficult to admit the truth.

Both Arya and Robb didn't say a word, but he could feel their eyes studying him, unnerving him. Jon hated how easily they seemed to read him sometimes, he hated that they _knew_, and talked so easily about his feelings. They felt nothing but easy to him.

And yet... _Own it_, _Jon_, he scolded himself. She deserved that much, at least.

"Ok," he snapped, every nerve in his body tense as a bowstring. "I _might_ have feelings for Dany. It doesn't change a thing."

"How so?"

"She clearly hates me now anyway."

"You're such an idiot, Jon," Arya sighed, a dejected tone in her voice that didn't sound too much like _her_.

Jon gulped, finally meeting her gaze. He had expected a reproaching look, a frown, but his sister was looking at him with soft eyes full of understanding instead. "You two really need to talk."

Jon supposed that was true, but still, he felt paralyzed at the prospect of admitting it to _Dany_.

Sometimes he saw her around town with her friends or he caught glimpses of her as she still came and went from their house - to see Arya, not him. At first he had tried to keep his distance, mindful that she may need some time to forgive him for acting up, but as the time passed and she kept on ignoring him, he grew impatient. She seemed to slip from his grasp like an eel, having mastered the art of never sharing the same room as him for more than three minutes.

She was always kind, but the distance she was putting between them was impossible to mistake for casual.

Every time he queried for the reason behind it, though, she simply shot him a smile - one that was growing more aggrieved by the day - and told him there was nothing to worry about.

“There’s nothing wrong.”

“You’re still mad at me.”

“I am not,” she would sigh. Jon usually let go at that point, even if it pained him.

Things changed on a late summer afternoon. Jon was cooped up in his room, studying for his upcoming exams, when he heard a soft knock at the door. “Come in,” he called.

He expected it to be Sansa, maybe, but to his surprise, it was Dany that stepped into his room.

“Hey,” he greeted her, trying to sound nonchalant even as his heartbeat sped. “What are you doing here? Arya is not home.”

“I know. I was looking for you,” she answered. She rummaged in her backpack before extracting a piece of grey woollen fabric from it.

“There,” she said, handing it to him.

It took him a moment to recognize the scarf he used to wear years ago, before he gave it to her. “What is the meaning of this?”

Dany shrugged, although a spark of sadness danced in her eyes for the briefest of moments. “I was just going through my old stuff… I thought about getting rid of it, at first, but somehow throwing it away didn’t feel right. So, yeah… I’m giving it back to you.”

“Why?” he asked, even as he took the scarf. The wool had felted over the years, especially around the middle, where it had rubbed against both of their necks. He could smell the faint scent of Dany on it.

Suddenly, he felt terrified of that innocent scrap of fabric. “You shouldn’t. I gave it to you. It’s yours,” he begged, trying to push it back into her hands, but she dodged him.

Dany laughed humourlessly, her gaze dancing around his room, avoiding _him_. She shrugged again. “It was time to clean up, I guess. Do with it what you will.”

“I don’t care about the bloody scarf, Dany,” he panicked, inadvertently raising his voice and making her gasp.

Before he could even realize it, she was off, a faint “Goodbye, Jon,” and the sound of her steps down the stairs.

_Oh no, no no no no_.

For a moment, he couldn’t move, wriggling the scarf about incessantly, but then he sprinted, following after her. He never wanted to have the stupid scarf back. He liked to see it around her neck during the cold months, it made him smile when she burrowed herself further into it until it hid the tip of her nose. It made _him _feel warm, for how absurd it may seem.

And now she was giving it back, almost like she didn’t want Jon to warm her anymore.

“Fuck,” he muttered, searching around for her figure, but she was already gone after what definitely sounded like more than the casual result of a decluttering spree.

“_Fuck!_” Frustration bubbled uncontrollably. Soon, he found himself taking it out on the poor tree that grew beside the Starks’ porch, the painful punch immediately making him flinch and hiss.

It gave him a welcomed bout of clarity, though, making him realize that he was acting like an idiot, _again_.

An idiot that was most certainly far too gone over Daenerys to keep on dismissing his own feelings. Admitting them to himself wasn’t enough, he had to tell her. She had a right to know before she kicked him out of her life for good, or else he would never forgive himself.

Jon took a deep breath, trying to calm his frayed nerves. He would have caught sight of her if she had just gone in the direction of her home, so that meant she could still be around somewhere. Slowly, a smile spread on his face. He knew where to find her.

As he had guessed she would be, Daenerys was lazily swinging on the old wooden swing Ned had built all those years ago, her long silver hair bouncing softly around her shoulders, the last rays of sunlight catching in the tresses and making them shine like gold – a sight lovely enough to kick the breath out of his lungs.

It was so weird, this sharp awareness of his feelings for her, so different from his previous numb obliviousness, making him feel as self-conscious as ever as he approached her, replaying the words in different combinations in his mind. Was it foolish to finally come clean to the girl he had seen as a little sister for half of his life?

It felt a bit wrong, if he was honest with himself. He had been an asshole to her just because she was doing what every girl of seventeen did, taking her first confident steps into the dating world, her beauty impossible not to notice now that it had fully bloomed. She had always been cute as cake, but now she had the lovely shape of a woman, the most stunning he had ever seen in his life.

He should be used to looking at her after all these years, and yet the sight of her made him dizzy.

_It must be wrong_, he mused, stopping a few feet from her, guilt suddenly constricting his throat at the sight of her frown. _Why would she ever want a selfish idiot like me?_

"Dany," he murmured, fidgeting until she finally met his gaze after what seemed like an eternity. "I'm so sorry."

She just shook her head, still silent, going back to stare at the tip of her white sneakers.

The thought of hurting her was unbearable.

"Please, Dany. I'm sorry, I was an idiot. I never wanted to make you sad." He took a few cautious steps closer to take a seat on the other swing, silently watching her as she loudly exhaled and blinked her eyes, the usual fire slowly coming back into them as she steeled herself. Before she could tear him a new one, though, he spoke again. "I was out of line, trying to control your life like that. I'm sorry I made you feel so uncomfortable you had to distance yourself from me for so long."

Dany exhaled loudly, her body sagging. She let a few moments pass in silence before she spoke, her voice just above a soft murmur. "I know you didn't mean any harm."

"Still, it wasn't right to do what I did."

"It wasn't," she conceded, meeting his gaze again, this time with a tentative smile on her face. It didn't last long, though, for it fell as soon as she saw his bruised knuckles, a frown quickly taking its place.

"Jon-"

"Oh, it's nothing," he hurriedly said, trying to hide the scrape by slipping his hand into his pocket.

"What happened?"

"Just me being an idiot. Don't worry about it."

Dany let out another loud exhale, looking annoyed even as she scoffed in what sounded like amusement. "See? You never talk to me, Jon. Every time I try to reach out, you... I don't even know what happens. I don't think you lie to me, it's just... you don't tell me the truth either."

"Dany-"

"And I know it's not my place to know everything about you, but... then you come to me, and somehow get mad at me for the same exact reason. It's exhausting and... I miss when you were open with me."

"Do you want the truth?"

Dany nodded, such an eager look to her that it made his heart clench.

"Even if you will hate me for it?"

"I could never hate you, Jon."

He hoped it was true.

"I used to see you as a sister, Dany, that much is true. But it hasn't been like that... for a while, now." _Even if I was blind to it_. Looking back at it now, it all seemed so ridiculous, the way he had kept on pushing back his own feelings, refusing to acknowledge them for _months_. Now, as he looked at her curious expression, at the softness with which she looked at him despite being angry at him, he couldn’t fathom why he didn’t surrender sooner to his heart.

"What do you mean?"

"I know I've been an asshole when you tried dating that guy, but... it wasn't out of protectiveness. I'm afraid I'm not as good a person as you think I am."

"That's unlikely," she murmured, tentatively reaching out to graze his bruised hand, her eyes fixed on the blood on his knuckles.

"I hit a tree. I punched it, actually," he exhaled. "Like an idiot. I was just so... mad that you wouldn't talk to me anymore, not like you used to. Mad that you are always surrounded by the guys at your school, angry at the idea you will end up liking one of them."

"Jon, they're not so bad. Immature, maybe, but not ill-intentioned-"

"But they aren't _me_," he finally let out, his heart jumping in his chest when she snapped her head up, violet eyes so wide they seemed to draw him in.

"I'm just a jealous asshole, Dany. And you didn't deserve for that anger to be taken out on you. I... I love you. And it's not your fault for not loving me back."

He let out a nervous laugh when she didn't immediately respond. "There, I said the truth."

It felt liberating, in a way, but on the other side his heart was thumping so hard against his ribs he feared they might crack at every beat. Maybe the truth would have been safer in the privacy of his own mind, maybe-

"Tell me this is not some stupid prank-"

"I would never joke about something like this," he snapped, almost offended, before he immediately softened at the confused expression she held. "You know that about me, I would hope."

"Jon..."

"You don't have to say anything. You asked for the truth, and you deserved to know it. It's alright." _It's not alright. What if she never wants to see me again?_

"You stupid fool," she said, but there was a softness in her voice that almost made him gasp in surprise. Her thumb stroked his knuckles softly, so delicate and caring. "Do you remember the day we met?"

"Aye," he nodded, entranced with the movement of her fingers around his scarred hand. "You were such a tiny thing, all big violet eyes and silver pigtails. And you tried so hard not to cry. That bruise must have been painful."

"Yeah. You patched me up. I was watching you the entire time, the way your hair kept falling over your eyes, and the frown you make every time you're focused on something. You were so kind to me, even though I never met you before it felt like I had known you my entire life. I think... I think that's the day I fell in love with you, Jon Stark," she said, meeting his eyes with a smile when he snapped his head up, almost unbelieving the words.

"_What?_"

"I always had a crush on you, you dumbass. I think you're the only one who never noticed."

"But that guy-"

"I was just trying to move on. I told myself I couldn't wait for you forever, after all. But... it didn't work. When I closed my eyes, it was always you I saw."

"Dany-"

"You seriously never noticed?"

"No, I... never." But as he raked his brain for the hints he had missed, they suddenly appeared so clear to him, the way she used to blush and stutter whenever he would speak to her, the fierceness with which she, tiny thing she was, defended him from Theon’s teasing. The bright smiles that she reserved only for him, and that seemed different from the ones she gave to anyone else. He pinched his eyes closed, sighing, even as his heart soared in his chest. _She loves me. She has always loved me_. And he could have spared them both a lot of heartache if only he had realized his own feelings sooner.

Dany’s expression grew amused as she watched his face morph from an incredulous frown to a look of slow realization.

"No wonder Arya calls you an oblivious dolt," she chuckled, making him crack a still incredulous smile.

"Why did you never tell me?"

She just scoffed and cast him a telling glance, then lowered her gaze on his knuckles again. "Will I be the one to patch you up today, Jon?" she teased, but he didn't let go.

"Why, Dany?"

"I was just a kid. You wouldn't have noticed me."

He gave a shy smile. He supposed it had been true for the longest time, but things had definitely changed. "You're quite impossible not to notice now," he murmured, leaning closer to her until he could hear her breath catch. He nuzzled her nose with his, breathing her sweet scent.

"Jon..." she whispered. He pressed his lips on hers, softly at first, almost reverently, basking in the softness of her skin and the quiet little moan she gave as their mouths tentatively moved with each other.

Her hands snaked around his neck, tugging at the short curls that barely grazed his shoulders. When their tongues finally met, she almost melted in his hold, whimpering delightfully before she pressed her mouth even closer to his.

They did have to catch breath at some point, after what felt like an eternity and entirely not enough, but he didn't tear away from her. Instead, he kept his eyes closed, his fingers grasping aimlessly at the fabric of her shirt, her breath fanning on his mouth and the loud thumping of their hearts resounding in his ears.

The smile that spread on his face when he finally opened his eyes again was so wide that it almost hurt.

"Hi," he breathed. Though they'd greeted each other countless times over the past ten years, it felt strangely appropriate.

"Hi," she smiled back, her violet eyes twinkling, a lovely blush taking hold of her cheeks. It was a blush he'd seen dozens of times, only now cast in a different light, realizing Dany had loved him for so long. And for so long, he'd been oblivious to all of it.

Well, his eyes were open now. And she had never looked more beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked this fic, please leave a comment! Your love and support are what helps me transform my spite for D&D into creativity fuel.
> 
> Now and always, fuck canon.


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